(1) Field of Invention
Pharmacies normally dispense medication based on patient's prescriptions as either pre-packaged where the correct number of doses are pre packed in a container, or as medicament where a prescribed number of pills are counted into a vial from a supply container. Several inventions have been made over the last 30 years to automate segments of the counting and dispensing process.
(2) Description of the Related Prior Art Including Information Disclosure
Automatic pharmacy dispensing systems have improved over the last three decades. Prior art has, however, not resolved the problems as listed below.
Prior art medicament counting problems:
Prior art using basic one emitter and one receiver sensors:
These basic light beam medicament counters have two main drawbacks. The first drawback is that a restrictive channel must be used to force each and every medicament through the light beam. Those skilled in the art would agree this leads to jam ups. Further, these restrictive channels are usually difficult to get to inside the dispenser mechanism, requiring emptying of the medicament supply bin. Additionally, pharmacy personnel have to set up these restrictive channels for different medicament sizes. The second drawback is that if the restrictive channel is not narrow enough at the counting point, two or more medicaments, one in the other's shadow, can be counted as one.
Those skilled in the art would agree that the counting process is eased with greater separation gaps between medicaments. This is readily achievable through free fall. Free fall, by definition, is not possible through a restrictive channel.
Prior art, (U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,005 B1, Jul. 7, 2003, Couglin et al) relies on widening of a single light source and finally concentrating the single light source after sensing into a single receiver. The aforementioned does not provide the ability to discern what specific areas, or beams within the sensing plane was affected by medicaments passing through. The above patent claims the emitter and detector on opposite sides of the detection plane. It should be noted that all claims are to a single medicament being sensed a time since medicaments could be erroneously counted when moving adjacent one another through the sensing plane. Also the physically bulky nature of opposed through-beam sensor configurations imposes limitations on the layout and technology used in a very critical area.
Prior art using wide beams with array receiver sensors, where individual elements of the array, or pixels, can be individually accessed:
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,327, July 1998, Itzhak Pinto et al. shows two charge coupled array sensors, spaced relative to each other at 90 degrees, used for a free fall bulk, very large volume, medicament counter. The physical layout of two sets of sensor arrays is cumbersome and costly. In the disclosure it becomes apparent that the device was not intended to be a unit accurate counter. Note in this patent's disclosure, the adjustable fall distance pipe to reduce the chances of miscounting medicaments during tumbling. It should be noted that more recent patents to the same assignee have moved the emphasis from relying only on two axis array detection systems to improving singulation.
Prior art and medicament dispensing problems:
Those skilled in the art would agree that prior art has a direct relationship between singulation and jam ups. The narrower the passageway, the better the singulation, however also the greater the probability of a jam occurring. Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,232, May 1993, Kraft et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,806 Mar. 1999, Boyer et al. show the advantages of Archimedes screw dispensers but, as disclosed, jam problems exist. There is thus a need over prior art for a medicament dispenser with speed, good singulation and that does not jam. Preferably it should do it's own set up in a learn mode.
Prior art lacks dispensing error recovery systems.
Even with good singulation, accurate counting and good control algorithms, the possibility always exists that few medicaments may be teetering on the edge and instead of dispensing one last medicament to complete the needed count, a few more will fall into the vial. Some prior art systems slow down to a snail's pace when nearing the full count. While this improves the problem it does so at a dispensing time cost and the over count problem is still not eliminated.
Prior art lacks dispensing of medicament dispensing and prepackaged medication in one system:
Prior art lacks adequate collation area suitable for medicament vials and pre-packed medication.
Prior art does not provide both medicament and pre-packaged dispensing from one system. The existing pharmacy dispensing automats are thus only half automats, leaving mostly the pre-packaged dispensing to be done manually. Pre-packaged dispensing capability is critical for the export market.
Efficient use of pharmacy floor space and running costs:
Prior art is not modular and thus can not be customized to pharmacy floor layouts. Without modularization automation can not grow as customers requirements and their budgets grow. Prior art systems are complicated and thus costly to purchase and run. This makes return of investment more difficult to achieve.
Although, over the last three decades, the automatic pharmacy dispensing automats' have made great strides forward, the problems highlighted above have not been solved in prior art.